Lesson Plan - Medieval Shields

Medieval Shields Cut Paper Collage 

10 pts 

Art 141 Art for Elementary Teachers 

Instructor Kelly Parker 

 6th grade 

4 lesson periods 

 Objective - Students will make a Medieval Shield from cut paper that will be a self-portrait of their family

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Vocabulary – self-portrait, collage, symmetrical, cut paper 

Materials – scissors, construction paper, pencil, rough draft paper, glue 

Cue set – talk about self-portraits and things that represent the student and their family

 Art history - Heraldry is a very old visual language that was originally used to identify warriors. Men in armor looked alike, so each knight chose a symbol and color that distinguished him from all the others. He wore these identifications first on his shield and later on the surcoat over his armor. A son wore the same coat as his father but to show the relationship made a small change in the designs and colors. Thus, coats of arms were passed down from one generation to the next. Men called heralds were given the responsibility of keeping the records. These rolls of arms were eventually sent to a college of arms that collects these designs along with the family history. In this way, heraldry is related to genealogy, the study of family relationships. Many people are entitled to bear versions of the arms of their ancestors after they have completed the necessary research to show their relationship to the original bearer. But most of us do not have such ancestors, so if we want our own coat of arms we must design it ourselves. 

Guided practice – 

1. Show teacher example and talk about the shield 

2. Draw some examples of shields on the board 

3. Talk about heraldry and making a shield that represents you 

 Art production – Day 1 

1. demonstrate the use of gluing 

2. demonstrate the use of layering to make items have depth 

3. stress symmetrical designs 

4. brainstorm ideas in your sketchbook 

 Day 2 – 

1. Choose construction paper colors and begin cutting, assembling, and gluing 

 Extensions – students could paint designs, use markers, or other materials